Tuesday 6 March 2012

Tell Your Girlfriends about Bronze...

Have you met my friend Cilla..?


You may know her as the design force behind the fun and fabulous jewellery creations to be found at the Etsy shop and blog 'Tell Your Girlfriends'. Cilla and I 'met' early last year when she won a stash of beads in one of my very first blog giveaways. Ever since then we've been following each others progress and when I've been trying out new techniques or styles she always has some positive words of encouragement.

Cilla was particularly interested in some of the bronze work I started showing on my blog and although I wasn't selling components generally at the time, she bought some of the pieces I was making for my own use and I think it's fair to say she got hooked on bronze. So, when I started thinking vaguely about opening a second Etsy shop to sell bronze components I just happened to mention it to Cilla and she was both delighted and excited. 

Since then she has given me non-stop encouragement and has come up with numerous ideas both for designs and ways to help promote my work. It can be quite daunting starting out on a new venture and having someone to bounce ideas off has been invaluable to me and without her infectious enthusiasm  I doubt I would have got things up and running quite so quickly. So thank you Cilla, I really do appreciate everything you done.

But now lets move on to some eye candy shall we...

Whilst I was working on pieces for the new shop, I sent some to Cilla for her to play with so that I didn't focus too much on things that suit just my design style. When I saw these photos of her beautiful creations I was 'chuffed to bits' as we Brits say. I didn't realise just how much satisfaction I would get from seeing how other people use my pieces in their work - I love it!

Anyway, I'm going to shut up now and let Cilla's designs speak for themselves.

Bronze tulip earrings with vintage glass bead, Czech glass and Vintaj findings

The flower beads on these earrings are a work in progress for me and after seeing these they  are definitely a design I want to develop.
Bronze focal, square polymer clay bead by Gabriel Studios, blue patina chain
by Miss Fickle Media, turquoise and resin beads and vintage brass chain
I think this bracelet is really harmonious and balanced and I love the way the shape of the focal is mirrored in the chain links. The pretty square bead adds contrast and texture and pulls together all the elements perfectly.

Bronze donut beads with leather and lampwork beads by Outwest
When I made these beads it was as standard 4 hole connectors but Cilla has laced them with little pieces of knotted leather - very original and so effective.

Bronze heart connector with lampwork beads by Silverfish Designs
Another very pretty bracelet with a soft romantic feel to it and as I'm not a big user of pink beads myself, it's great to see how well they work with the bronze.

Bronze bird charms with lampwork beads by Clare Scott and Vintaj accents
Aren't these fun? the charms are a perfect match with the earthy iridescent tones of the lampwork beads.

Bronze script connectors, ceramic beads by Jean Christensen,
blue rock crystal and vintage brass chain and findings
This is a great bracelet which I think has a sort of 'ancient relic' vibe about it with the unusual ceramic beads the little scraps of writing on the bronze...ever the romantic me!

Bronze heart headpins with Czech glass and gold accents
And last but not least... the cutest pair of candy pink earrings made with a pair of heart headpins. I am really intrigued to see how people use these headpins and these are a great start.

Thanks again Cilla for bringing my work to life in your lovely designs!

You'll find some more of  Cilla's work on the gallery page of this blog and of course her Etsy shop Tell Your Girlfriends has lots more lovely jewellery too so do please pay a visit.


If you have made jewellery using any of my components and would like to have it featured in the gallery you can find details here. I am also hoping to do a regular round-up post showcasing some of these designs so keep your eyes peeled for that.

In the meantime have fun!

Lesley








15 comments:

  1. How wonderful is Cilla's work!! So many beautiful designs. Your components look amazing in them all. I think you should both be incredibly proud of what you have achieved.

    Lesley, your bronze work is stunning and I wish you huge continued success with Theatoo.

    PIPPA

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank You so much for such a wonderful post Lesley!
    You give me way to much credit!You are so thoughtful and generous! Thanks for everything! Looking forward to the future!

    Cilla

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful designs Cilla ~ Loving your components Lesley!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cilla did a great job with your components! Your work is fantastic, Leslely, I love the quality!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful Beautiful Works...each of them lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  6. beautiful love the work and the components!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I adore all that gorgeous eye candy! Those bronze connectors really spoke to me, I love what she did with them. Beautiful components, and beautiful designs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh I love these bronze pieces! Hard to choose which one I like more ... but do really like the donut as well as the script connectors! Cilla did such a lovely job showing off your work and hers

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lesley, It is always wonderful when you have someone to bounce ideas off of and that gives you help and moral support when needed. Cilla is a good friend indeed. She did some gorgeous work with your components. I love the tulip earrings they are so very pretty and the pearl peeking out is like a hidden treasure waiting to be found.
    Therese

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my GORGEOUSNESS! You and Cilla seem to be a match made in heaven. I love your new bronze. I got hooked on bronze about two years ago when I won a tiny little charm from Cindy Gimbrone. Now I see so many lovely examples of it. I am delighted that you shared the work of Miss Cilla. She is so very sweet! And your pieces are really the crown jewels in these pieces. Beautiful!
    Enjoy the day. Erin

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cilla and I were paired in an earring exchange once and I have been following her ever since. The earrings she made for me were so awesome. I really like your new components a lot & Cilla has done a great job in showing them off. You make a talented and complimentary team!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow Lesley...what a wonderful collaboration....Cilla has done a wonderful job showcasing your components...I recieved my goodies today..can't wait to show you what I make...so excited to get back into my newly vamped studio...hugs xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  13. There are so many gorgeous designs here that it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to pick a favorite! Everything is just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so much ladies! It means a lot coming from wonderful and creative talent such as you!
    Sincere Thanks!
    Cilla

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very beautiful pieces great job Cilla! Really beautiful designs!

    ReplyDelete

Don't be shy - join in with the gossip...